Aaron Broussard's guilty plea: Editorial

It wasn't much of a surprise Monday that former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard walked into federal court and said he would plead guilty to public corruption charges -- almost three years after he resigned from his parish post amid a probe of corruption.

CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNEFormer Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard, center, with his attorney, Robert Jenkins. Broussard said he will plead guilty Tuesday to corruption charges.

Mr. Broussard, who was set for trial in November, was the lone defendant still standing after four others charged cut plea deals. The former parish president is expected to admit Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one count of theft, as part of a plea agreement.

The deal will cut Mr. Broussard's potential prison time drastically, as he had been facing 27 charges. But Mr. Broussard betrayed the trust of Jefferson Parish residents and abused his office to enrich himself. He should still receive a stiff punishment for doing so.

His plea agreement also shouldn't necessarily mean the end of the investigation into his administration's actions. In building a case against Mr. Broussard, prosecutors in January alleged that he had used his public post to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars in "consulting fees" and "finder's fees" from parish contractors. They also alleged that he was the majority owner of a holding company for a Canadian property that was partially funded by parish contractors.

So far, however, Kenner businessman Bill Mack is the only parish contractor charged in that angle of the probe. Mr. Mack last month pleaded guilty to paying $66,000 in kickbacks to Mr. Broussard. Now that Mr. Broussard is expected to cooperate with prosecutors, they should continue exploring whether other contractors also bribed him and pursue anyone else who may have broken the law.

For its part, Justice Department officials in Washington need to continue probing the awarding of a $160 million contract to River Birch Landfill, a deal that was negotiated by the Broussard administration. The deal has been rescinded. Landfill co-owners Fred Heebe and Jim Ward haven't been charged with a crime and have denied wrongdoing, but investigators need to pursue all leads in this probe.

The FBI and federal prosecutors deserve recognition for rooting out corruption in Jefferson Parish. Mr. Broussard's crimes, and those of other former officials who have confessed to wrongdoing, severely eroded public confidence in parish government. It will take years to fully repair the damage they caused, but part of that process is making sure Mr. Broussard and others who broke the law pay for their actions.